The Princess and the Caterpillar
by IzzyMorgensternXX
Summary: Set after 3x06. Will Jasper and Eleanor get their happily ever after?


It was Boxing Day.

The palace was finally alive again as the servants filled the halls, hurrying one way and another to complete their many tasks.

Sara Alice watched them, fascinated, but of course, she wasn't really interested in anything they did. Her Daddy and Jasper Caterpillar were the only interesting non-royals that she knew- and maybe Spencer too, he had bought her a chocolate reindeer.

Sara Alice walked along the corridor from the red state room to a familiar bedroom, stopping just outside of it. It was roughly ten now, but sometimes the Princess didn't wake up until gone midday. Sara Alice knew the Princess couldn't be allowed to sleep in today, she'd seen Jasper Caterpillar packing a bag, and he'd told her that he'd be away for a while. Sara Alice knew he'd want to say goodbye to his Princess before leaving.

So, of course, the little girl didn't bother knocking, after all, it took so long for Eleanor to get ready in the mornings, that there simply wasn't time for her to knock! Sara Alice skipped into the room, noticing the fairy dust on the coffee table, but knowing it was actually poison from the evil queen, and knowing she shouldn't touch it.

She jumped up onto the bed and noticed that Eleanor was still sleeping. In fact, she was completely out of it and even looked a little pale.

"Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" Sara Alice yelled, jumping up and down on the bed, but still Eleanor didn't wake up.

"Come on! You have to wake up!" Sara Alice continued, "Jasper Caterpillar needs to say goodbye to you before leaving for Las Vegas."

Sara Alice had no idea where Las Vegas was, she just knew it must be some place far far away for Jasper to need to pack so much. It must be a long and arduous journey, Sara Alice concluded, and then there was, of course, the battle with the evil dragon and the evil King. It was only natural to assume that Jasper Caterpillar wouldn't want to return to his Princess in clothes splattered with dragon blood.

Sara Alice looked down at the still sleeping Eleanor, "I guess I'm just going to have to get Jasper Caterpillar to kiss you awake then. Like he did in the stor-… oh, I shouldn't have said that."

Sara Alice ran out of the room quickly before she could give anything else away and ran down the corridor to the left, and down a flight of stairs to where she knew Jasper's room was. She was glad to see that he was still there, holding a picture of Princess Eleanor in his hands, tears spilling from his eyes.

He quickly brushed those tears away when he saw the young girl. Sara Alice assumed they must be tears of happiness, because he knew he only had to slay the evil monsters before returning to his Princess forever and ever and ever. Either that or he was crying because the Princess's beauty was so blinding. Sara Alice hoped that one day she'd be as pretty and intelligent as Len.

"Hey, little elf," Jasper said, motioning for Sara Alice to come in, "What's up?"

Sara Alice sighed, "The Princess won't wake up. You'll have to kiss her awake."

Jasper smiled, and Sara Alice thought for a moment that he seemed sad, "That might not be the best idea right now."

"Why not?" Sara Alice asked raising her eyebrows, "You're her Prince! Like in the book, you're Jasper Caterpillar and you want to turn into a butterfly so the Princess will notice you, but then she notices you anyway and you become the handsome prince. And Princes always kiss their Princesses awake."

Jasper sighed, "Even if the Princess didn't want to be kissed awake?"

Sara Alice nodded, "Yes, well I think so, I mean Snow White didn't say she didn't want to be kissed awake, and neither did Sleeping Beauty, and they married their Princes so the Princes couldn't have done anything wrong. And the Princesses need their Princes to wake them up because if they didn't have them then they would never wake up, would they?"

"Yes, but you know they're just stories, right?" Jasper replied, "And anyway, it's very unlikely that Eleanor got into a fight with a spinning wheel, there's no spinning wheels in the Palace, and probably not in England either."

"What about Snow White though?" Sara Alice asked, "She was poisoned, wasn't she? I saw a load of the wicked Queen's poison in the Princess's room. I hope she wasn't poisoned, but if she was then she really needs you to kiss her awake."

Jasper gave the young girl an alarmed look, hoping that his suspicions were wrong, "What exactly did this poison look like? Please tell me you didn't touch it."

Sara Alice shook her head, "Of course not, it's poison, dum-dum. It looks like a white fairy dust. I thought it was fairy dust at first. Why? What's wrong Jasper Caterpillar?"

Jasper looked pale and ill, all the colour had drained from his face, as he stood on shaky legs before darting out of his room, up the stairs and along the corridor. Sara Alice followed as quickly as she could. Something clearly wasn't right, and she knew this wasn't to do with the fairy stories. By the looks of things the Princess really had been poisoned and now Sara Alice was beginning to panic.

"Hey!" her father yelled, standing at the exit of the red state room, "Where are you in such a hurry to get to?"

"Jasper Caterpillar's got to rescue the Princess," Sara Alice said, out of breath, "I think she might have swallowed some of the wicked Queen's powder again, and now she won't wake up until he kisses her."

James looked at the Princess's room with a scared expression before darting after Jasper, Sara Alice following close behind.

BREAK_BREAK_BREAK_BREAK

"Eleanor wake up!" Jasper yelled, shaking his ex-girlfriend fiercely, tears falling down onto her cheeks as he grew more and more scared, "Eleanor, please, god-damn it! ELEANOR!"

James appeared in the doorway and Jasper turned around to see his horrified look as he took in the amount of cocaine on the coffee table and the several empty bottles of alcohol scattered around the room.

"Len, please!" Jasper begged, between sobs, "Len, I'm so sorry. I never meant what I said. I love the letters. I love you. I absolutely love you. I only said those things because I was trying to protect you. Please, you can't leave me… Please…"

"I've called an ambulance," James said, "Should be here in ten minutes."

"Can't they get here any faster!" Jasper exploded, making Sara Alice startle.

Jasper gave Sara Alice an apologetic look, "Sara Alice, could you get the book from my office please?"

Sara Alice nodded, silent for once, darting off quickly.

"Jasper she'll be ok," James tried to reassure him.

"This is all my fault!" Jasper began, "I shouldn't have come here ever. I shouldn't have fallen in love with her. I shouldn't have let her fall in love with me. I ruin everything."

"No," James said, "You've screwed up a lot, but you always fix things. I don't know what happened between you and Eleanor but you'll figure it out and fix it too."

"My Dad sold me out!" Jasper yelled, "Robert told a journalist I was dating Eleanor and my father provided all the juicy news about my past. They wanted to hurt Eleanor and I couldn't let them. So I broke up with her, told her I never loved her, that I didn't want to be with her. Then this happened… I should have known something like this would happen! It's all my fault!"

James shook his head, "She knows you love her, it's easy to see. She didn't have a chance to realise that properly and realise you were lying. You've done everything right and when she wakes up you'll tell her the truth and you'll fight this together. This isn't the first time that the Princess has had some scandal or another published about her. To you this is epic and awful, to her this is just the same old, same old. I think that with some help we might be able to fix this."

"How?" Jasper asked in desperation, "This is an impossible situation."

"Difficult," James answered, "Not impossible. You don't need to run away, just ask for help. This isn't nearly as bad as you think it is, and I'm sure the Queen will be able to swing this one way or another. You're not alone."

Jasper nodded, pulling Leni into his arms, "I just hope she's going to be ok. I don't know how much she took, or what she took. Her breathing sounds ok, her pulse is fast but still ok, she's a bit feverish. I just want her to wake up now."

"Everything will be fine, Jasper," James tried to reassure him.

Jasper kissed Len's forehead, breathing in the scent of her shampoo- vanilla and apricot- and brushing a strand of hair away from her face. There were dark shadows under her eyes and her skin was pale. She hadn't looked this sickly in months. Jasper hadn't noticed the transition but she'd been glowing recently, she was so much healthier and happier, and it had showed.

Until now.

"I've got the book!" Sara Alice yelled, re-entering the room, "Now what?"

BREAK_BREAK_BREAK_BREAK

When Eleanor woke up she knew immediately that she wasn't in her room and that something had gone terribly wrong, only that she couldn't remember what had happened.

The bright light of the hospital room stung her eyes, the thin gown she wore was itchy and coarse, there were several noises coming from weird machines- one clearly monitoring her heart rate then other connected to the oxygen mask on her face. She was aware that no one was in the room apart from her and she wondered with her hungover and drug-fogged mind who had found her and how.

She knew she'd gone too far. She'd OD'd. She'd always managed to keep away from going too far but last night had been too much. It had been three months since she'd given up the drugs, but she hadn't anticipated breaking up with Jasper. She just couldn't cope.

Eleanor felt tears sting her eyes, she still couldn't cope.

She'd tried to be strong. She'd put on a brave face during the Christmas speech, trying to a beacon of hope for the nation.

Then she'd gone back to her room- downed two bottles of neat vodka and several grams of coke. Then she'd passed out.

She could just imagine the earful of it that she was going to get from Robert, the worried and distraught looks on Liam and her mother's faces. Eleanor looked over towards the window but all she could see was grey sky and a flock of seagulls dancing in the winds. She wished she could be like them and fly away from this life that had only ever brought her pain.

She gazed around the room and that's when she noticed the present sitting on her bed side table. With shaky and weak hands she reached for it and once she'd rested it on the bed, next to her, she started to carefully unwrap it.

Inside was a book, with illustrations that were clearly drawn by Sara Alice. Eleanor smiled, she loved that little girl, she reminded her so much of herself when she was that age.

 _The Princess and the Caterpillar,_ Eleanor read before a sour feeling settled in her stomach, Oh, the poor girl hadn't realised that the Princess and the Caterpillar were no longer together.

Eleanor wanted to put the book down and go back to sleep but something compelled her to continue reading.

 _Once upon a time, in a land far far away, there lived a beautiful Princess with hair as dark as a starless night. She lived in a magical tower, hidden away in a massive fortress with gates the size of mountains. Few people ever saw her, although many had heard tales of her deeds, that was of course until she met Frosty the Caterpillar._

Eleanor rolled her eyes, letting a small smile appear on her face but her heart was still filled with heavy sadness.

 _Frosty the Caterpillar wasn't much like other caterpillars. Most caterpillars were shy and retiring creatures but Frosty was daring and brave and handsome. There was one thing he wanted in life, just one thing- to become an amazing butterfly and spend all of his days flying through the sky._

 _However, first he had to save the Princess. He knew the Princess was lonely and needed a friend. So one night he found his way into the Palace and went searching for his Princess. He wiggled his way this way and that avoiding the heavy boots of the guards and eventually despite the long and arduous journey he found her._

 _But there was just one problem._

 _He couldn't reach the door handle and he was far too small to knock or make a noise._

 _Fortunately, that's when Sara Alice saw him and picked him up and carried him inside the Princess's room._

" _You have to save the Princess!" Sara Alice told him, "She's in an enchanted sleep and only a kiss from her true love will bring her back!"_

" _What happened?" Frosty the Caterpillar asked, "Why won't she wake up?"_

" _She was poisoned by the evil Queen," Sara Alice explained, "And if you're her true love then you need to save her."_

" _But, but," Frosty the Caterpillar began uncertainly, "But I'm just a Caterpillar, and I have three eyes and scoliosis."_

" _If you're the Princess's true love that won't matter," Sara Alice replied, "She's love you just the way you are."_

 _Frosty the Caterpillar shook his head, "But I've done terrible things. I've stolen leaves from other bugs…I…"_

" _It doesn't matter Mr Caterpillar," Sara Alice replied, "You wouldn't be here unless you really cared about the Princess."_

 _Frosty paused for a moment to think about what the little girl had said and then replied, "Ok, I'll see if I can wake her up."_

 _So Frosty the Caterpillar let Sara Alice carry him through the Princess's room until he reached the bed where she was sleeping and he wiggled his way up until he was sat on the pillow next to her and looked at her with his three large caterpillar eyes._

" _But I'm just a caterpillar," Frosty the Caterpillar said, struck by the Princess's beauty, "I'm not good enough for her."_

 _Sara Alice shook her head, "No, you are her true love and you care about her and you need to rescue her."_

 _Frosty didn't know what to do, he felt so unsure. He wanted to believe the little girl's words, he wanted to believe he was the Princess's true love._

" _Quick! The evil Queen is coming!" Sara Alice yelled as she looked outside the door._

 _Then Frosty the Caterpillar knew what to do, and without hesitation he kissed the Princess._

 _He waited anxiously for a few moments._

 _Maybe I was wrong, the Caterpillar though to himself, Maybe I'm not her true love after all. And I'll never be a butterfly, only a measly caterpillar with scoliosis and three eyes._

 _Then suddenly, the Princess started to wake up and she smiled when she saw Frosty the Caterpillar sitting on her pillow._

" _My hero," she said groggily._

" _Come on!" Sara Alice yelled, "We have to run away before the evil Queen find us. Quick, we can use the tunnels!"_

 _Sara Alice grabbed Frosty and the Princess and dragged them through a secret door in the Princess's room and down through the dark tunnels, with only a small torch to guide them._

 _They ran and ran as quickly as they could, knowing that if they weren't fast enough then the Queen would poison the Princess again and imprison Frosty forever._

 _They could hear the Queen and her soldiers getting closer and closer, and they were beginning to panic but then they reached the end of the tunnel and were suddenly transported to a magical meadow with fairies and pixies and elves and flowers of all the kinds ever found in the world._

" _You saved my life," the Princess said to Frosty, "How can I reward you?"_

 _Frosty the Caterpillar thought for a moment, did he really want to be a butterfly?_

" _You are my true love," the Caterpillar said, "That's enough of a reward for me."_

 _Then the Princess and Frosty kissed again and suddenly he transformed into a handsome Prince._

 _He knew then that everything would be ok because he and the Princess were in love and he would always be there to rescue her and she would always be there to remind him of his goodness and make him forget his insecurities._

 _He knew he would never give up on her._

 _And they lived happily ever after._

 _The End._

Eleanor sobbed as she finished reading the story. Jasper had really written that- for her? Did he mean those things? How could he, when he'd said those words were just lies? But then why would he leave the book here for her? If it didn't mean anything, why would he do that?

That's when Eleanor noticed the single tear drop on the The End page and she knew something wasn't quite right. Jasper hadn't broken up because he didn't care about her, he'd broken up with her because he was still unsure about himself, and because something had happened before the Princess could remind him of how perfect he was.

Eleanor noticed the necklace and smiled. It was beautiful, silver with a jade stone, her favourite of all the gemstones. Also in the castle was a letter.

 _My dearest Eleanor,_

 _I want you to know that I'm so sorry for hurting you and that I take back everything I said last night._

 _I love you, I really love you, Eleanor, and I mean it._

 _I'm just so scared that my past is going to hurt you. There was a reporter who wanted to tell the whole world about us and about my past and she said that she knew my Dad and that he'd told her everything about my life in Las Vegas._

 _I didn't want you to get hurt. You were in such a good place, so happy and so healthy. And I love you. I thought the best thing was to let you go. I just wanted to protect you._

 _For years I've felt worthless and never good enough, but now, being with you, it helped me to see that isn't true. You bring out the best in me, Eleanor, and I'm forever grateful for that. Especially considering you had no reason to, after everything I've done to hurt you._

 _I don't expect you to forgive me, Eleanor. You have given me so many chances, and I've taken all of those chances and every-time I've broken your heart._

 _I never wanted you to get hurt like this, so that's why I'm writing now. Because I want to be honest with you, you deserve that._

 _I love you but in no way am I pressuring you into dating or anything like that. I'd understand if you hate me._

 _I should have trusted you. You asked me to and now I have to accept the consequences of letting you down._

 _I just want you to happy and safe, Eleanor. Always._

 _Love Jasper._

Eleanor sobbed loudly, tears staining the letter. Her Jasper, her poor Jasper, he still thought he wasn't good enough for her. He didn't even beg for her to take him back. He thought she would hate him.

It broke her heart just thinking of how much he must be hurting.

She would help him. She would help them both get out of this mess. Because he'd promised not to give up her and she sure as hell wasn't about to give up on him.

She heard a knock at the door and looked up to see Jasper standing in the doorway with a bouquet of white lilies in his hand.

"Eleanor, I am so sorry," Jasper began, his voice unsteady as he tried to stop himself crying, "I never meant for any of this to happen."

Eleanor smiled, tears blurring her eyes, "Oh Jasper! You should have just told me. We can fix all of this, we can fix all of this so easily."

Jasper shook his head, "No, they'll find out about my past and they'll hurt you. I can't let that happen."

Eleanor shook her head, "I'm not going to give up on you, Jasper."

"But I've caused you so much pain," Jasper protested, "You nearly died-."

"And who was it that saved me?" Eleanor retorted, "I know it was you."

Jasper stared awkwardly at the floor, "Yes, I guess. But I also caused the problem in the first place."

"Hey!" Eleanor snapped, "You are not a problem. You are perfect. So stop thinking that you don't deserve me. Because I don't want some pretty little butterfly, I want you. I want my scoliotic three-eyed caterpillar, because he's perfect just the way he is and I'm going to make damn well sure he understands that."

Jasper shook his head, "I just bring you down."

"No you don't," Eleanor said, as Jasper walked towards her and sat on the edge of her bed, "You're the reason why I was healthier and happier. You saved me, Jasper."

"But I just keep on hurting you," Jasper protested.

"No," Eleanor said, placing a hand over his, "You were just trying to keep me safe. I love you for that. But sometimes we have to fight these things together. When it comes to journalists you don't need to worry, they've printed things far worse than this about me and every turned out ok. If they can't accept that you deserve a second chance and love you for who you are, then that's their problem."

"Really?" Jasper asked, doubtfully, "If they don't love me then it's not my fault?"

Eleanor gave him a worried look, "Jasper, don't ever think that you were responsible for your parents' actions or emotions. You deserve to be loved, and I love you."

Jasper smiled, tears fogging his eyes, "I love you too, Eleanor. I can't live without you, I need my happy ending."

"Don't worry, my caterpillar. We'll live happily ever after," Eleanor said with a smile, before kissing him.


End file.
